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Ronald W. Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia

515 U.S. 819 · Decided June 29, 1995 · Supreme Court of the United States

Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.

At a glance

Ronald W. Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia was decided on June 29, 1995 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
515 U.S. 819 · 115 S. Ct. 2510 · 132 L. Ed. 2d 700 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 4461
Docket number
94-329
Decided
June 29, 1995
Argued
March 1, 1995
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Anthony M. Kennedy
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (establishment of religion)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensDissent
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajority
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice David H. SouterDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Clarence ThomasConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgDissent
Justice Stephen G. BreyerDissent

Full case caption

Ronald W. Rosenberger, et al. v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1994-091, docket 1994-091-01.

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Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error